The store took place in 1977 when Vicente Feijóo, Eduardo Feijóo. Jesus Martinez y Vicente Catalá, four teenagers from Valencia (Spain) decided to made up a Rock band. The beginnings were difficult enough well in that time Spain was not the better place to play Rock and Roll.
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The group called Wolframio ( hard metal used to build war tanks) was influenced by bands like Sweet, Deep purple, Led Zeppelin and many others of the 70´s. They played versions and composed their first own song called " Rayos de luz" in September of 1977, Vicente Catalá left the band and Javier Hervias a teenager of the neighbourhood and friend of them, joined the band. Many hours ( every day from 7 p.m. to midnight) of practise later the band composed a second song " El autobus de las 12" and recorded it first demo " Los comienzos 1977". It was the result of all the work the band has done this year. Vicente say: (we spent the year in learning to play together and confined ourselves to aping other bands).
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The band changed its name for Zarpa, composed " Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis" and signed up a contract with a record company called Zeus Rock ( Juan Vicente López Carsi, was director). Zarpa recorded at the Tabalet Studios of Alboraya during the summer. Very soon, Zarpa practised their own live performance and wined the audience confidence. Jose Faz becames the Manager of the band and a few time later they were booked as support band for Triana, a fashion Spanish Rock Flamenco band that used to sell over a hundred thousand copies, Vicente said: " It was great opportunity for us to play before a large audience".
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4 jinetes del apocalypsis |
Zarpa get on their way until Ian Gillan ( Deep purple) called them to play support band for a performance in Valencia. It´s been the greatest moment of the band. Them they had to do a break for a year, well it was time of the Military service. During their days of permission, the band recorded another demo included 18 new songs and called " Adictos al crimen"
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After the military service period, Zarpa get back on the road. As they play in clubs and dance halls their success grows up and they become the fashionable band of the locality. A live recording called " Zarpasaurio" with 11 unpublished tracks is the result of over 70 performances in a few time through Spain.
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The story still goes on and Vicente remember: " after tour of 1981 and thanks to the fantastic approval of the audience, we decided to compose new songs. Little by little we realized the way our music was changing in. The songs begun to sound more loud, compact and the words more engage".
As the same time we met José Sancho, a young businessman owner of a shop records, who became the personnal manager of the band. We continued to give public performances and played as support band with Baron Rojo and Obus at the bullfight arena auditorium of Valencia, We decided to record the new songs on a L.P.
This new L.P. was called “ ¿ Angeles o Demonios?” and gathered some interesting songs that will be soon the favourites of the audience.Songs like “LLega el castigador”, “Cuero y cadenas”, “ No mas problemas” and “ El Tren para el infierno” become standards that nowadays the band still has to play. According to their fans, this work is the Masterpiece of the band. Songs, melodies, arrangements and words are the real essence of Zarpa, in spite of the poor Quality of the sound, “ LLega el castigador” is probably their most representative and popular track, As usual, Vicente designed the most amazing covers of the moment.
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About the way the L.P. sounds Vicente said: We´ve had to produce, record and mix all the songs at the Pertegas Studios of Xirivella(Valencia) in only 24 hours. It was one of our most important problem, I mean not to be able to make the band sound as well and with all the strength as we did in direct. So that´s why we accepted all the critics sopme listeners have done. Fortunaly, they were noy too numerous. The main reason is the lack of money( no money enough, no time enough to do it well).
I remember the day we were mixing at the studio when I said to the sound engineer; “ Sorry but I don´t ear the bass frequency. What´s Happened? And he answered me; “ forget it, it´s because ot the studio acustic” buit when we finished the work we realized I was right. Ofently, money is the main motivation to wake up interest and to have a job well done Anyway when were performing on stage we forget it all and just trought about the good time we spent with the audience.
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¿Angeles o demonios? |
In 1983, said Vicente. We saw for the first time our L.P. “ Angeles o Demonios” for sale in the shops records, I remember that the cover was very attractive although some people said it was just an Iron Maiden cover plagiary, I´m not agree because I always tried to be original, It´s also this year, Black Sabbath put is “ Heaven and Hell” for sale, It´s strange but I think we went on the same way, The good and the bad together on the same said.
Vicente: I remember a very busy year with a lot of interviews on press and Radio, We reached to enter in the national charts list of differents musical magazines and Madrid.
Our performances in direct we varied and sometimes important like a day we played as support band of Baron Rojo at the Bony of Torrent ( Valencia), We shooted several concerts too including special effects like fireworks, explosions and fof…we finally had a fantastic film thatb somebody stole us ( what a pitty ¡ Give it us back please!).
We continued to practise 6 hours a day, We compodes new songs with a complete dedcication to the music, I was passion for art, This year was very positive too.
In 1984 the band returns at the studio to record a new L.P. called "Herederos de un Imperio". The quality of this work is exceptional, bringing the band to the national plan. Its better chart is "Herederos de un Imperio" that sound with strength and that Zarpa used the to start their gigs. This L.P. includes songs like Herederos de un imperio, Ojo por ojo, Voces en el universo, Reacciona or Unidos por el Rock, some clasic tracks of the Band.
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Herederos de un imperio |
Vicente said: In 1985, our Herederos de un imperio goes on sale, edited by the Twins Records company. This year we were successful as much with audience as the mass media, we get a freen Record delivered by the SER and we were the guests of El Corte Ingles festival promotion for the best artists and records of the year.
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We get a red record in several places in Spain like Melilla, ( even though it seems strange) where we played with Sable, we reached the top of our popularity at the end of 1985 with a sold out concert for our official presentation in the Bony Auditorium of Torrente ( Valencia).
Unfortunately, that same day our Manager who came back from Madrid to bring us records and merchandizing items brad a traffic accident. He get into a coma and we lost all the material, Vicente say: We´ve lost favour and we were disheardtened and the record company turned their back on us. So we decided to take refuge recording a demo we com`posed and called " Progreso" That deals about our state of mind in that moment.
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Progreso |
Zarpa played as support band with Baron Rojo the day they recorded their famous live album " Al rojo vivo" The band get more famous and very soon the name of Zarpa starts to sound in every mouth of the national rock´n´rollers. Zarpa still managed to wind the audience affection and participation during their gigs. There´s an anecdote thet happened in the Garage Auditorium ( Valencia) about Vicente who received an electric shock with the microphone, luckily a few minutes later he was ok.
Also, the Band takes part with others local bands in the organisation of several Rock festival, we can remember for example Canaan( Alaquas) with the participation of Leyenda(Ribarroja), Sable(Mislata), Hal(Valencia),Sharet (Manises),Shalem( Cheste) and Praxis (Cullera).
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En ruta hacia Europa |
Vicente say: I remember a day when Javier brought me a demo they´ve done and it was horrible, all the songs we practised, arranged and prepared during so much time have been destroyed, the shadows of doubts started to spread its wings over the band. Finally we recorded the songs in the way the keyboard player decided, it´s been a terrible mistake I think and the most frustrating moment of my musical career. Two weeks in Geneva and 15.000 pesetas ( 90 Euros) a day to record our songs that souned like a kind of mix of Rock and Roll and Techno. Time and money for nothing and a unpublished record were the beginning of the end of the Band. So I promised myself not to repeat such a kind experience and although the read should be harder, I prefer to record songs as I feel and in the way I think they have to sound.
In 1992 Vicente tried to make Zarpa come back together me more time to record a new work at the Acustic Crom studios, the result will be just another record for the collectors.
We recorded a live in San Marcelino ( Valencia), but the members of the Band, because of labor reasons, decided to stop the adventure. Here apper Javier Hervias on the keyboards, Manolo Cascales on the drumms, Jose Lezo on backing guitars and Fernando on the Bass guitar.